"Founded by Benjamin Perrot and Florence Bolton, La Rêveuse is an ensemble of solo musicians which aims to bring back to life selected works of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, that effervescent age so rich in artistic experiments and inventions of all kinds. By favouring an approach founded on eloquence, mastery of colour and a rich continuo sound the musicians of La Rêveuse wish to convey to audiences the rhetorical, spiritual and poetic substance of these repertories.
La Rêveuse has attracted favourable attention with its concerts in France (notably at Les Concerts Parisiens, La Folle Journée de Nantes, Fontevraud Abbey, Pontoise, the Radio-France Montpellier Festival, and Lanvellec), and also appears abroad, at such events as the Cambridge Summer Festival, the Organizatie Oude Muziek season in the Netherlands, La Folle Journée in Japan, the French Cultural Centre in Cairo, and in Switzerland, the USA,
and Canada. ..."

* Established in 1977 to promote performance of music written before 1800
* Performs with historic instruments and/or copies and voices
* Uses performance styles of the period in which the music was written
* Has presented a concert series in Charlotte since 1978. "
Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“Washington's Camerata, established in 2009, is a period instrument ensemble dedicated to the music of the 17th and 18th centuries. Founding flutists Kelly Kazik and Sarah McIver achieve innovative programming through the ensemble's unique instrumentation to bring charming and rarely heard music back to life. …”

“Innovative, historically-informed and multi-cultural, HESPERUS’ collaborative artists perform a variety of programs designed to bring musical history alive including silent movie soundtracks of early and traditional music, musical portraits of a single culture through time, fusions of European early music with American traditional styles, and single-genre early music programs from medieval to Spanish and British Colonial music. Whatever the genre, HESPERUS performs with creative energy, technical assurance and a sense of fun.“

"Doulce Mémoire is synonymous, above all, with energy and team spirit, and with the delight of coming together with the common aim of taking a new look at the sacred and secular music of the Renaissance.

Doulce Mémoire is a close-knit group of instrumentalists and singers who appear regularly together at major international festivals – Innsbruck, Saintes, Bath, Ambronay and Boston, to name but a few – but also in more unusual settings, such as on the esplanade in front of the UGC cinema in the center of Paris, in a restaurant in Portugal, 4000 metres above sea level in the city of Quito in Ecuador, or on a barge (not ideal for stability!) on the lagoon at Tahiti.

Positively averse to boredom, Doulce Mémoire constantly creates new and original performances and takes up all sorts of interesting challenges, such as giving a show on a horse-drawn caravan on tour in 2000, sharing a concert with the great Uzbek singer Munnajat Yulchieva and training amateur choirs or young Indians in Bolivia.

Open to every form of art, Doulce Mémoire has worked with the musicians and dancers of the internationally recognized Han Tang Yuefu company of Taiwan, the Italian dancers of Il Ballarino, the British singers of the Cardinall’s Musick, and with Spanish dancers in an exciting show combining Renaissance music and flamenco.

The humdrum and the monotonous are shunned by Doulce Mémoire, which moves with ease from Renaissance cabaret (La Dive Bouteille) to mystical music fir Holy Week and from the Requiem for the Kings of France to commedia dell’arte in its latest show, Viva Venezia !.

Doulce Mémoire records for Naïve, K 617 and Zig Zag territories. Its recordings have received many awards and distinctions, including Diapason Record of the Year and maximum ratings from Le Monde de la Musique and Télérama." Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“Our mission is to promote and encourage the performance and appreciation of Early Music, principally but not exclusively in East Cork.

By the term "Early Music" we understand music composed before 1750, performed with instruments appropriate to the period. We aim to integrate the authentic style and spirit of an earlier time with performances which are vital and coherent in the present. Therefore, later music may be included and connections made to contemporary music, traditional music from various cultures, non-written-down forms of music, and other art forms such as dance, theatre, literature, visual art, film etc. In this way, we acknowledge 'Early Music' as a vital root of our present culture.

East Cork Early Music will work to nurture and support Irish and Irish-based musicians at every level, as well as attracting specialist performers from overseas. Our audiences should be both local and international. We will promote concerts of the highest quality and innovation. Together with concerts we will create an educational programme consisting of intensive masterclasses, lectures and school performances. Theses are aimed at a wide range of students: from primary school-children to college level and adults, both music students and non-specialists. We will encourage participation in masterclasses by those who are new to Early Music performance, as well as by those already specializing in it.“

"Chatham Baroque, western Pennsylvania's only professional baroque ensemble playing on period instruments, excites audiences with dazzling technique and artful interpretation. In recent years the trio has taken its performances and educational programs to Montreal, Mexico City, the British Virgin Islands, California, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama and Washington, DC. " See website for more information. (ed.)

"Cappella Nova, founded in 1982 by Alan and Rebecca Tavener, has an unrivalled reputation as champions of Scotland’s unique treasury of early vocal music. The group is also “famous for its performances of contemporary music” (The Guardian), having commissioned and premiered more than 60 new works since 1986. These include John Tavener’s monumental three-hour oratorio, Resurrection (1990), broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and James MacMillan’s cantata for Holy Week Seven Last Words from the Cross (1994), which was the subject of seven short films for BBC2 TV. In 1996 they recorded the award-winning soundtrack by William Sweeney for the Tartan Short film an iobairst. In 2003 they provided ensemble vocals for the critically-acclaimed album Hate by The Delgados. In 2009 they premiered Red, the first a cappella work by Craig Armstrong. Also in 2009, the group appeared in the BBC Scotland television documentary Grace Notes, singing medieval and renaissance Scottish sacred music.

Cappella Nova and its medieval offshoot ensemble, Canty, has made 15 CDs, including ten of medieval and renaissance music for the Sanctuary Classics (Universal) Gaudeamus label, all of which are ‘world premieres in modern times’, and the group is particularly well-known for championing the music of the 16th century Scottish polyphonist, Robert Carver. Besides appearances in many British festivals, the group has toured many times abroad, including several visits to Germany and France, and tours in Ireland, Belgium, Hungary, Russia and the USA. Among Cappella Nova’s awards are several Enterprise Awards from the Performing Right Society and a Glenfiddich Living Scotland Award for their ground-breaking performances of Scottish early music. Cappella Nova is Vocal Ensemble in Residence at the University of Strathclyde and the Company has an office sponsored by the university which also hosts this website."

"Ensemble Phoenix Munich was established in 2003 by Joel Frederiksen, leading early music specialist, after moving to Munich, Germany. Munich is the resident city of the ensemble and the ensemble is proud to put the name of the city into its name. The ensemble is heir to Mr. Frederiksen’s previous group, the well-known L’antica musica New York (1989-2001). Ensemble Phoenix Munich presents early music at international standards using top international players and singers. The group is planning a concert series for 2007-8 in Munich and already has invitations to perform at international festivals. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"Les Voix Baroques is a professional chamber ensemble dedicated to historically informed performances and recordings of unexplored 17th and 18th century repertoire for voices and instruments. Founded in 1999, the group has a regular concert series of baroque vocal and instrumental programs. The ensemble regularly invites both young singers and world-renowned guest artists and singers to perform with them. Les Voix Baroques has been the ensemble in residence at Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal since January 1999. In January 2004 Les Voix Baroques was awarded the 2004 Cannes International Classical Award for their 2003 release Elegeia, produced by Analekta. In March 2004 the group, fronted by Canadian soprano Shannon Mercer, participated in Prarie Debut that saw them perform in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Les Voix Baroques has toured in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has performed at The Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, The Ponticello Music Series, the West Brome Concert Series, CBC McGill, CBC o­nStage, and Le Festival de l’Art Vocal" ...

“Described as one of the discoveries of the 2001 early music festival in Regensburg, Germany, Musicians of the Old Post Road has been captivating audiences in the US and abroad with its exciting programming and virtuoso performances. As a chamber ensemble specializing in the period instrument performance of music from the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods, the ensemble specializes in offering a dynamic and diverse repertory that includes rediscovered works that have been lost to audiences for centuries.“

"Medieval music ensemble "Universalia in Re" was founded in 2001 with a view to revive a medieval attitude to music as an internal experience capable to change a man. This aim determinates unusual instrumental stuff of the ensemble as well as its repertoire (mostly European music of XIII-XIV centuries).

Together with careful study of musical treatises and analysis of medieval European manuscripts, which keep traces of a unique minstrel culture, the ensemble pays a significant attention to living verbal professional musical traditions of Central Asia and Middle East

The ensemble members participated in workshops of leading medieval music teachers and musicians. The ensemble made concerts in Russia,Ukraine, Switzerland, Estonia, Poland and took part in international early music festivals in Lviv (Lviv Early Music Festival, Ukraine, 2002), Tartu (VI Tartu Early Music Festival, Tartu, Estonia, 2003) and Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia, International Machaut Festival, 2004, EARLYMUSIC, 2005). " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"Over a 25-year history, the Exultate Chamber Singers have garnered praise from all quarters for sensitive, precise and seamless performances. The choir was established in 1981, when conductor John Tuttle brought together a group of graduating university students who wanted to continue performing choral music at a high standard. The choir is enriched not only by the excellent musicianship of its members but also by their varied academic and professional backgrounds. Together, they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire." ...

"Gruppo Seicento early music ensemble was established in 2002 by the effort of musicians dedicated for a long time to the early music in the will to face the baroque repertoire, with a special interest in Seventeen century Italian music, using original instruments or copies, studying the original sources of this period and performing on historical tunings.

The Gruppo Seicento has played in several early music concert seasons and festivals in Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and South America obtaining unanimous approval from the public and the critic. ... " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

Aurora provides small scale music-making of a particularly intimate kind. Employing a wide range of recorders and plucked string instruments, the performers recreate the sound world of a renaissance chamber.

Aurora's programme style and content makes them particularly suitable for smaller, historic, or candlelit venues, and they have been heard to fine effect in various National Trust properties.

Aurora is also available to provide stylish and atmospheric music to enhance events such as weddings or receptions. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

"ARS ANTIQUA AUSTRIA, director: Gunar Letzbor
Ars Antiqua Austria was founded in Linz in 1995 with the aim of introducing audiences to the roots of specifically Austrian baroque music played on period-instruments. The music performed at the imperial court in Vienna at this period shows the strong influence of Italy and later of French forms, while Spanish court ceremonials also shape the character of the works. The typical Austrian sound of the period also betrays the influence of the many Crownlands. The political and social boundaries of Austria in the baroque era were far wider than in the 20th century. Elements of Slav and Hungarian folk music mingle with alpine sounds and can be heard in the art music of the period. The Austrian sound also reflects the temperament and character of the Austrians of that period - a unifying element in the melting-pot of many different cultures: the joie de vivre of the South, Slav melancholy, French formality, Spanish pomp and the Alpine character of the German-speaking regions. This fusion of court- with folk music and a strong element of dance music form the typical Austrian sound.

The core of Ars Antiqua Austria comprises 8 musicians directed by Gunar Letzbor. The ensemble is readily augmented to accommodate a still wider repertoire.. " See website for more information. (ed.)

"I FAGIOLINI was founded in 1986 while the singers were students at Oxford
University. In 1988 the group won the UK Early Music Network’s Young
Artists’ Competition and has since released 14 CDs and 2 DVD. It gives about
50 concerts a year from the BBC Proms and major European festivals to
further afield such as the Far East and both ends of Africa. Its unusual
name has been misspelt, mispronounced and misunderstood throughout the
world.

‘Like their concerts the disc is lively, imaginative, even anarchic...
and a lot of fun.’ BBC Music Magazine

I Fagiolini’s core repertoire is Renaissance and contemporary solo-voice
ensemble repertoire. In recent years it has pioneered innovative staged
presentations with a project called The Theatre of Music, which brings
classics of Renaissance secular music to life. This project has been a huge
success with promoters and audiences. It recently released two DVDs on
Chandos (Vecchi L'Amfiparnaso with Simon Callow) and Naxos ('The Full
Monteverdi' - also broadcast around the world). " See website for more information. (ed.)

“With a desire to create a period instrument ensemble dedicated to the music of the Renaissance and Early Baroque, La Compañia was formed in 1997 by its artistic directors Danny Lucin and Mitchell Cross, who share a long collaborative partnership which commenced whilst studying improvisation at the Victorian College of the Arts.

La Compañia is a unique Australian ensemble, performing a rarely-heard repertoire on historically important instruments, to form a consort rich in possibilities. ..“ Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“A Baroque ensemble of the new generation, Les Ombres was founded by Sylvain Sartre and Margaux Blanchard in 2006 with the aim of closely linking musicological research and 'historically informed' interpretation. In their quest to rediscover forgotten masterpieces of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, its members seek to unite the emblematic arts of the Baroque theatre, so that musicians, singers, dancers and actors become interpreters of one and the same score. These specificities make the ensemble a space for creativity and expression, a human and musical adventure. Inspired by music as an art in constant evolution, Les Ombres also give priority to the exploration of new horizons, ranging from the traditional patrimony to contemporary creations.

The nucleus of Les Ombres is formed by three musicians trained at the Schola Cantorum of Basel: Margaux Blanchard (viola da gamba), nadja Lesaulnier (harpsichord), and Sylvain Sartre (transverse flute). According to the needs of specific programmes, this trio is supplemented by violins, flutes, bas- soon, theorbo, and so on. Alongside the instrumental repertoire, the ensemble devotes an important place to vocal music and dramaturgy. It has therefore invited for this CD Mélodie Ruvio, a mezzo-soprano who came to the members' attention in the title role of Le Carnaval et la Folie conducted by Hervé niquet at the European Baroque Academy of Ambronay in 2007, and the actor and director Manuel Weber, a specialist in Baroque theatre, whom they met at the creation of a production devoted to the fables of La Fontaine. …“

"Formed in Sydney to explore and perform music composed for three female voices in the late renaissance and baroque periods, the group is named after Monteverdi's seductive and ambitious heroine Poppea (pronounced pop-pay-yah) from his opera "The Coronation Of Poppea". We believe the name encapsulates the essence of the group: performance of baroque repertoire, exploration of music by rarely performed composers, especially female composers, and our Australian origin, in playing on the expression "tall poppy syndrome". In researching our music, we learned of the "Singing Ladies of Ferrara" who were famous in the late 16th Century for their charm and virtuosic singing. As the first truly professional singers in an Italian court, they were trail blazers. Many composers of the time, of whom Luzzaschi was one, wrote music for these influential and talented singers. Whilst not quite the Andrews Sisters, the close knit harmonies and intertwining of the vocal lines makes for rapturous listening. Audiences have described our singing and the music we perform as 'luscious", "inspirational" and "music for the soul" and it is thrilling for us to continue its legacy into the 21st century. " See website for more information. (ed.)

“Quadriga Consort – the Early Music Band on an expedition to the origins of pop music: early ballads and tunes from the British Isles, ranging from rollicking dance music to the Celtic-Gaelic and the courtly song traditions. The archaic melodies provide the basis for authentic music of today and tomorrow, so typical for Quadriga – with interpretations so fresh, that they make many a pop song of today pale in comparison to the enduringly moving ancient songs of love, yearning, joy and sorrow. ..“

"The Clemencic Consort is an early-music ensemble comprised of international artists under the direction of René Clemencic. It performs in varying combinations of voices and instruments, depending on the programme.

Singers and instrumentalists from around the world have made it their task to interpret music from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period on historical instruments. They set great store on lively authenticity, but at the same time they consciously avoid "the wagging finger". The programmes are structured in such a way that they convey a colourful overall impression of the respective period. " Visit website for more information. (ed.)

“Ironwood is an Australian-based ensemble, committed to exploring music of the baroque, classical and romantic periods on early string and keyboard instruments. The members are some of Australia’s most respected early and contemporary chamber musicians. The ensemble was established in 2006 as a flexible group of players, drawing on a wealth of experience from across the globe. Ironwood believe that historically informed performance should be complemented with new material and has an active commissioning program for music on early instruments. The group performs widely and has produced recordings for ABC Classics and Vexations840. Ironwood are 2007 - 2010 Artists in Residence at the Bundanon Trust, NSW, and also run a Developing Artist program in Victoria and NSW.”